8 Reasons Yo-Yo Dieting Is Harmful to Your Health, Backed by Science

“Yo-yo dieting” is a term that refers to a cyclical way of eating—with periods of restriction and then often overeating—that results in a pattern of weight loss and regain.

While yo-yo dieting may result in initial weight loss due to restrictive eating habits, it’s usually temporary—you may regain weight when you return to your typical eating pattern. Plus, eating this way can lead to many physical and mental health issues, includingdisordered eating habits. If you’ve found yourself stuck in a pattern of yo-yo dieting, making small lifestyle changes can help you break the cycle.

1. Increases Body Fat and Weight

When you drastically cut calories, as is generally the case with yo-yo diets, your body can eventually enter adaptive thermogenesis, a state commonly called “starvation mode.”

Adaptive thermogenesis occurs when your metabolism significantly slows down to preserve energy and hang onto nutrients. This can promote fat and muscle loss and push back on how many calories you’re burning.

When you return to your typical eating habits (due to the unsustainable nature of yo-yo diets), your body tends to regain the lost weight. Research shows that a regain of 2% to 6% body weight can reverse the benefits of losing 10% or more of weight.

This repeated cycle can also lead to a higher overall body fat percentage and loss of lean muscle mass, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight.

2. Can Lead to Nutritional Deficiencies

Frequent cycles of restrictive eating are likely to result in inadequate intake of essential vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients (protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates). This is especially true when yo-yo dieting comes at the cost of eliminating entire food groups or nutrients, such as carbohydrates.

Some of the higher-risk nutrients of concern include B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and iron.Repeated cycles of undereating and overeating can disrupt your body’s ability to properly absorb nutrients, leading to long-term nutritional deficiencies.

Even when you return to your typical eating pattern, it can be difficult to safely replete these deficits without supplements and the personalized assistance of a registered dietitian.

3. Increases Diabetes Risk

In other words, yo-yo dieting patterns disrupt glucose metabolism and make it harder for your body to keep blood sugar levels in check. This issue is commonly seen in individuals with disordered eating.

When you regain weight, it’s often stored as visceral (belly) fat, which surrounds your vital organs and is closely related to insulin resistance. Unaddressed insulin resistance is a critical factor in developing type 2 diabetes.

4. Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Having more visceral fat is associated with higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) and triglycerides (fat in the blood), which increase the risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease.

Higher circulating fats in your blood increase your risk ofatherosclerosis, a condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries. This buildup narrows the arteries, increasing your blood pressure and your likelihood of having a heart attack or a stroke.

Additionally, ongoing losing and regaining weight can increaseinflammationand metabolic stress (your body has to work harder to process nutrients), which further contribute to cardiovascular disease risk.Some research shows that regular weight fluctuation alone is associated with a higher risk of heart disease.

5. Can Lead to Fatty Liver Disease

When you lose weight, your body breaks down stored fat for energy, releasing fatty acids into your bloodstream. If you rapidly regain weight after that, these fatty acids may accumulate in your liver, leading to fat buildup in liver cells, a condition known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). NAFLD may lead to liver inflammation, scarring, and long-term organ damage.

Other characteristics of yo-yo dieting, like the metabolic stress from restrictive eating and overeating cycles, can also promote inflammation and impair liver function. Eventually, this can damage your liver, promote insulin resistance, and increase your risk of more severe liver conditions.

6. Can Cause Stress, Mood Swings, Lack of Confidence, and Depression

Nobody feels great when they’re constantly trying to restrict or avoid what they’re eating. Understandably, yo-yo dieting can trigger mood swings, cause stress, and make you feel less confident.

When you’re not nourishing your body, you’re more likely to feel hungry and irritable, and have low energy. Chasing unrealistic expectations through temporary fixes is enough to make anyone feel anxious and run down.

Any short-term weight loss experienced with yo-yo dieting isn’t worth the mental and emotional toll it can take.

7. Disrupts Your Gut Bacteria

Your gut is home to trillions of microbes that play essential roles in digestion, immunity, metabolism, and keeping you healthy.

Your gut microbes need to be well-nourished with a variety of foods to function at their best. When your body experiences cycles of restriction and overeating, it can alter thebalance of bacteriain your digestive system.

If you’re drastically restricting your nutrient intake, your gut microbes can become less diverse as your body adjusts to limited food resources. Restricting essential nutrients may reduce the number of helpful microbes in your gut. Weight regain may be somewhat of a shock to your system and allow more harmful bacteria to thrive.

The gut bacteria instability from yo-yo dieting may contribute to digestive issues and inflammation and affect your mood.

8. May Be Linked to Gallstones

There’s some evidence that yo-yo dieting may increase the risk of developinggallstones, perhaps due to the stress that rapid weight changes place on your gallbladder.

Your gallbladder is a small organ that stores bile, a digestive fluid your liver makes. When you eat fatty foods, the gallbladder releases bile into the small intestine to help break down and digest fats.

Restrictive periods of yo-yo dieting may increase cholesterol secretion into the bile, forming cholesterol crystals. When you regain weight, these crystals can grow and become gallstones as your gallbladder loses its ability to properly empty bile.

Quick weight loss can also slow your gallbladder’s function, increasing the risk of bile sitting there for too long and further contributing to stone formation. A healthy diet and maintaining a consistent weight is one of the best ways to avoid gallstones.

How to Break the Cycle

Yo-yo dieting is not sustainable or healthy—physically or mentally. However, breaking the cycle isn’t easy. It requires a shift toward more sustainable and healthy habits that will serve you better in the long term.

Here are some tips to help you ditch yo-yo dieting for good:

Tips for Starting Your Weight Loss Journey

Summary

If you’re in a cycle of adopting the latest diet trend and then “falling off the wagon” and regaining weight, know you’re not alone. These eating patterns are not designed for sustainability. Instead, they’re almost guaranteed to set you up for failure.

It is essential to be aware of the many adverse health effects of yo-yo diets and develop realistic approaches to long-term weight and wellness goals. This may mean seeking support from a dietitian or therapist who can help you identify and address underlying challenges and create a personalized plan for success.

18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL.Adaptive thermogenesis in humans.Int J Obes (Lond). 2010;34 Suppl 1(0 1):S47-55. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.184.Contreras RE, Schriever SC, Pfluger PT.Physiological and epigenetic features of yoyo dieting and weight control.Front Genet. 2019.10:1015. doi:10.3389/fgene.2019.01015.Koliaki C, Spinos T, Spinou Μ, Brinia ΜE, Mitsopoulou D, Katsilambros N.Defining the optimal dietary approach for safe, effective and sustainable weight loss in overweight and obese adults.Healthcare (Basel). 2018 Jun 28;6(3):73. doi: 10.3390/healthcare6030073. PMID: 29958395; PMCID: PMC6163457.Kiani AK, Dhuli K, Donato K, et al.Main nutritional deficiencies.J Prev Med Hyg. 2022;63(2 Suppl 3):E93-E101. doi:10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2S3.2752.Raevuori A, Suokas J, Haukka J, Gissler M, Linna M, Grainger M, Suvisaari J.Highly increased risk of type 2 diabetes in patients with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.Int J Eat Disord.2015;48(6):555-62. doi:10.1002/eat.22334.Mathieu P, Poirier P, Pibarot P, Lemieux I, Després JP.Visceral obesity: the link among inflammation, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.Hypertension. 2009;53(4):577-584. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.110320Neeland IJ, Ross R, Després JP, et al.Visceral and ectopic fat, atherosclerosis, and cardiometabolic disease: a position statement.Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(9):715-725. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30084-1Rhee EJ.Weight cycling and its cardiometabolic impact.J Obes Metab Syndr. 2017;26(4):237-242. doi:10.7570/jomes.2017.26.4.237Zou H, Yin P, Liu L, et al.Body-weight fluctuation was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:728. doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00728Marchesini G, Petta S, Dalle Grave R.Diet, weight loss, and liver health in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: pathophysiology, evidence, and practice.Hepatology. 2016;63(6):2032-2043. doi:10.1002/hep.28392Tan EJ, Raut T, Le LK, et al.The association between eating disorders and mental health: an umbrella review.J Eat Disord. 2023;11(1):51. doi:10.1186/s40337-022-00725-4Hills RD Jr, Pontefract BA, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR.Gut microbiome: Profound implications for diet and disease.Nutrients. 16;11(7):1613. doi:10.3390/nu11071613.Seitz J, Trinh S, Herpertz-Dahlmann B.The microbiome and eating disorders.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2019;42(1):93-103. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2018.10.004Zhang H, Xu C, Zhu X, et al.Associations between temporal eating patterns and energy distribution patterns with gallstones: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2018.BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):2994. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20512-x.Wirth J, Joshi AD, Song M, et al.A healthy lifestyle pattern and the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease: results from 2 prospective cohort studies.Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(3):586-594. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa154Champagne CM, Broyles ST, Moran LD, et al.Dietary intakes associated with successful weight loss and maintenance during the Weight Loss Maintenance trial.J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(12):1826-1835. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.09.014Tapper K.Mindful eating: what we know so far.Nutr Bull.2022;47(2):168-185. doi:10.1111/nbu.12559.Toros T, Ogras EB, Toy AB, Kulak A, Esen HT, Ozer SC, Celik T.The impact of regular exercise on life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in older adults.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(9):714. doi:10.3390/bs13090714.

18 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL.Adaptive thermogenesis in humans.Int J Obes (Lond). 2010;34 Suppl 1(0 1):S47-55. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.184.Contreras RE, Schriever SC, Pfluger PT.Physiological and epigenetic features of yoyo dieting and weight control.Front Genet. 2019.10:1015. doi:10.3389/fgene.2019.01015.Koliaki C, Spinos T, Spinou Μ, Brinia ΜE, Mitsopoulou D, Katsilambros N.Defining the optimal dietary approach for safe, effective and sustainable weight loss in overweight and obese adults.Healthcare (Basel). 2018 Jun 28;6(3):73. doi: 10.3390/healthcare6030073. PMID: 29958395; PMCID: PMC6163457.Kiani AK, Dhuli K, Donato K, et al.Main nutritional deficiencies.J Prev Med Hyg. 2022;63(2 Suppl 3):E93-E101. doi:10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2S3.2752.Raevuori A, Suokas J, Haukka J, Gissler M, Linna M, Grainger M, Suvisaari J.Highly increased risk of type 2 diabetes in patients with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.Int J Eat Disord.2015;48(6):555-62. doi:10.1002/eat.22334.Mathieu P, Poirier P, Pibarot P, Lemieux I, Després JP.Visceral obesity: the link among inflammation, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.Hypertension. 2009;53(4):577-584. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.110320Neeland IJ, Ross R, Després JP, et al.Visceral and ectopic fat, atherosclerosis, and cardiometabolic disease: a position statement.Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(9):715-725. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30084-1Rhee EJ.Weight cycling and its cardiometabolic impact.J Obes Metab Syndr. 2017;26(4):237-242. doi:10.7570/jomes.2017.26.4.237Zou H, Yin P, Liu L, et al.Body-weight fluctuation was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:728. doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00728Marchesini G, Petta S, Dalle Grave R.Diet, weight loss, and liver health in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: pathophysiology, evidence, and practice.Hepatology. 2016;63(6):2032-2043. doi:10.1002/hep.28392Tan EJ, Raut T, Le LK, et al.The association between eating disorders and mental health: an umbrella review.J Eat Disord. 2023;11(1):51. doi:10.1186/s40337-022-00725-4Hills RD Jr, Pontefract BA, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR.Gut microbiome: Profound implications for diet and disease.Nutrients. 16;11(7):1613. doi:10.3390/nu11071613.Seitz J, Trinh S, Herpertz-Dahlmann B.The microbiome and eating disorders.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2019;42(1):93-103. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2018.10.004Zhang H, Xu C, Zhu X, et al.Associations between temporal eating patterns and energy distribution patterns with gallstones: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2018.BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):2994. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20512-x.Wirth J, Joshi AD, Song M, et al.A healthy lifestyle pattern and the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease: results from 2 prospective cohort studies.Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(3):586-594. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa154Champagne CM, Broyles ST, Moran LD, et al.Dietary intakes associated with successful weight loss and maintenance during the Weight Loss Maintenance trial.J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(12):1826-1835. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.09.014Tapper K.Mindful eating: what we know so far.Nutr Bull.2022;47(2):168-185. doi:10.1111/nbu.12559.Toros T, Ogras EB, Toy AB, Kulak A, Esen HT, Ozer SC, Celik T.The impact of regular exercise on life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in older adults.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(9):714. doi:10.3390/bs13090714.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL.Adaptive thermogenesis in humans.Int J Obes (Lond). 2010;34 Suppl 1(0 1):S47-55. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.184.Contreras RE, Schriever SC, Pfluger PT.Physiological and epigenetic features of yoyo dieting and weight control.Front Genet. 2019.10:1015. doi:10.3389/fgene.2019.01015.Koliaki C, Spinos T, Spinou Μ, Brinia ΜE, Mitsopoulou D, Katsilambros N.Defining the optimal dietary approach for safe, effective and sustainable weight loss in overweight and obese adults.Healthcare (Basel). 2018 Jun 28;6(3):73. doi: 10.3390/healthcare6030073. PMID: 29958395; PMCID: PMC6163457.Kiani AK, Dhuli K, Donato K, et al.Main nutritional deficiencies.J Prev Med Hyg. 2022;63(2 Suppl 3):E93-E101. doi:10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2S3.2752.Raevuori A, Suokas J, Haukka J, Gissler M, Linna M, Grainger M, Suvisaari J.Highly increased risk of type 2 diabetes in patients with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.Int J Eat Disord.2015;48(6):555-62. doi:10.1002/eat.22334.Mathieu P, Poirier P, Pibarot P, Lemieux I, Després JP.Visceral obesity: the link among inflammation, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.Hypertension. 2009;53(4):577-584. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.110320Neeland IJ, Ross R, Després JP, et al.Visceral and ectopic fat, atherosclerosis, and cardiometabolic disease: a position statement.Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(9):715-725. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30084-1Rhee EJ.Weight cycling and its cardiometabolic impact.J Obes Metab Syndr. 2017;26(4):237-242. doi:10.7570/jomes.2017.26.4.237Zou H, Yin P, Liu L, et al.Body-weight fluctuation was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:728. doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00728Marchesini G, Petta S, Dalle Grave R.Diet, weight loss, and liver health in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: pathophysiology, evidence, and practice.Hepatology. 2016;63(6):2032-2043. doi:10.1002/hep.28392Tan EJ, Raut T, Le LK, et al.The association between eating disorders and mental health: an umbrella review.J Eat Disord. 2023;11(1):51. doi:10.1186/s40337-022-00725-4Hills RD Jr, Pontefract BA, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR.Gut microbiome: Profound implications for diet and disease.Nutrients. 16;11(7):1613. doi:10.3390/nu11071613.Seitz J, Trinh S, Herpertz-Dahlmann B.The microbiome and eating disorders.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2019;42(1):93-103. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2018.10.004Zhang H, Xu C, Zhu X, et al.Associations between temporal eating patterns and energy distribution patterns with gallstones: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2018.BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):2994. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20512-x.Wirth J, Joshi AD, Song M, et al.A healthy lifestyle pattern and the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease: results from 2 prospective cohort studies.Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(3):586-594. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa154Champagne CM, Broyles ST, Moran LD, et al.Dietary intakes associated with successful weight loss and maintenance during the Weight Loss Maintenance trial.J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(12):1826-1835. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.09.014Tapper K.Mindful eating: what we know so far.Nutr Bull.2022;47(2):168-185. doi:10.1111/nbu.12559.Toros T, Ogras EB, Toy AB, Kulak A, Esen HT, Ozer SC, Celik T.The impact of regular exercise on life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in older adults.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(9):714. doi:10.3390/bs13090714.

Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL.Adaptive thermogenesis in humans.Int J Obes (Lond). 2010;34 Suppl 1(0 1):S47-55. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.184.

Contreras RE, Schriever SC, Pfluger PT.Physiological and epigenetic features of yoyo dieting and weight control.Front Genet. 2019.10:1015. doi:10.3389/fgene.2019.01015.

Koliaki C, Spinos T, Spinou Μ, Brinia ΜE, Mitsopoulou D, Katsilambros N.Defining the optimal dietary approach for safe, effective and sustainable weight loss in overweight and obese adults.Healthcare (Basel). 2018 Jun 28;6(3):73. doi: 10.3390/healthcare6030073. PMID: 29958395; PMCID: PMC6163457.

Kiani AK, Dhuli K, Donato K, et al.Main nutritional deficiencies.J Prev Med Hyg. 2022;63(2 Suppl 3):E93-E101. doi:10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2S3.2752.

Raevuori A, Suokas J, Haukka J, Gissler M, Linna M, Grainger M, Suvisaari J.Highly increased risk of type 2 diabetes in patients with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.Int J Eat Disord.2015;48(6):555-62. doi:10.1002/eat.22334.

Mathieu P, Poirier P, Pibarot P, Lemieux I, Després JP.Visceral obesity: the link among inflammation, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.Hypertension. 2009;53(4):577-584. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.110320

Neeland IJ, Ross R, Després JP, et al.Visceral and ectopic fat, atherosclerosis, and cardiometabolic disease: a position statement.Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(9):715-725. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30084-1

Rhee EJ.Weight cycling and its cardiometabolic impact.J Obes Metab Syndr. 2017;26(4):237-242. doi:10.7570/jomes.2017.26.4.237

Zou H, Yin P, Liu L, et al.Body-weight fluctuation was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:728. doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00728

Marchesini G, Petta S, Dalle Grave R.Diet, weight loss, and liver health in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: pathophysiology, evidence, and practice.Hepatology. 2016;63(6):2032-2043. doi:10.1002/hep.28392

Tan EJ, Raut T, Le LK, et al.The association between eating disorders and mental health: an umbrella review.J Eat Disord. 2023;11(1):51. doi:10.1186/s40337-022-00725-4

Hills RD Jr, Pontefract BA, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR.Gut microbiome: Profound implications for diet and disease.Nutrients. 16;11(7):1613. doi:10.3390/nu11071613.

Seitz J, Trinh S, Herpertz-Dahlmann B.The microbiome and eating disorders.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2019;42(1):93-103. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2018.10.004

Zhang H, Xu C, Zhu X, et al.Associations between temporal eating patterns and energy distribution patterns with gallstones: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2018.BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):2994. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20512-x.

Wirth J, Joshi AD, Song M, et al.A healthy lifestyle pattern and the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease: results from 2 prospective cohort studies.Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(3):586-594. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa154

Champagne CM, Broyles ST, Moran LD, et al.Dietary intakes associated with successful weight loss and maintenance during the Weight Loss Maintenance trial.J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(12):1826-1835. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.09.014

Tapper K.Mindful eating: what we know so far.Nutr Bull.2022;47(2):168-185. doi:10.1111/nbu.12559.

Toros T, Ogras EB, Toy AB, Kulak A, Esen HT, Ozer SC, Celik T.The impact of regular exercise on life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in older adults.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(9):714. doi:10.3390/bs13090714.

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